Under the shining moon
by balbriggansmith
Summary: Worlds end and new ones begin, a young girl had her world shattered while a member of a long lost people watched them be consumed, yet hope lives on in the most magical of ways. Follow their journey within and to other worlds beyond their wildest dreams.


A dark bolt of lightning shot across the sky as thundering waves tore away at the shores of the world. The scene was one of a thousand apocalyptic warnings throughout the ages, only this time it came true. The how and why had become irrelevant to this dead world with its grey mountains, seas and sands, no one was left to remember the anarchy, no one was left to count the corpses of the dead.

Except one.

This one stood on these mountains, on these seas of sand and stood defiant against the onslaught of entropic decay and a dying red star. Her gaze seemed to tear through time itself, all knowing of the past yet ignorant of what could of been, as what could of been has never happened.

Turning slightly she wondered if there were other worlds, a possibility which had existed in the dreams of her people for aeons. Were there worlds full of people, maybe even her people out there among the stars or some distant plane of existence. There was no point to her world, maybe there never was in the first place, maybe simple beings of great wonders and technology denied such a truth because such a truth negates the idea of ones existence, a life with purpose.

She knew her life had never held purpose, illusionary or otherwise, and she knew her world had long since lost the right to be called anything more than a dead rock, but as she was about to find out, even the darkest of shadows must have light to throw them and darker the shadow, brighter the light. Whereas this world dies another must be full of life and in life there is harmony in chaos and chaos in harmony.

It was this endless cycle of the living which would give her a chance to see what could of been for her world, come true for another. She looked onward to see a bright light, her ears deafened by a scream. She quickly ran forward, shock and desperation trailing every step. At the end of her run she saw a golden gate, it spun one, twice, thrice and opened to reveal a flock of winged demons followed by a strange being with bells on his shoes and swords on his back. He wore a furious look as he charged the gate snarling, his strange black and white mask failing to hide his primal need to cause pain.

His charge wasn't to last, his corpse fell like the countless others. The world he had just arrived in had claimed him as soon as he had taken his third step, like a man of theatre he fell, the sickened ground consuming him with a mouth of red. An endless tunnel her people learned to fear to late, a tunnel they called chaos, a tunnel she knew as hatred. Hatred consumed hatred and consumes those who hate. The strange being and his demons soon vanished. She felt no pity.

But the golden gate stayed.

She looked at it, her head tilting to the side in curiosity. She took careful steps towards it as she observed its blinding light. She had never seen such light, a light she had heard only from one other long dead corpse. Gazing upon its glory she thought maybe this was what the sun looked like, that mysterious tale she had been told but never understood.

Stopping in front of it, awe upon her face, she reached out. She then stopped, afraid she might blemish this vision she had long since given up dreaming of, a vision of hope. Strange, long forgotten emotions seemed to force themselves up within her, crashing against her blackened heart like the seas which destroyed the land.

She reached out and touched the golden gate, her life never to be the same again.

* * *

The moon was a beautiful piece of nature, to most people however it remains ignored over flowers, waters and wonders of the humanity. Yet still one little girl gazed at the moon, something she had become accustomed to doing every time the stars came out to play. She was sitting in her garden in a small dress covered in sun loving flowers, they did not match her despair. Japanese garden are known for their beauty, the one she sat in was no different. She sat beside a water fountain, a fountain which captured her tears as they fell from her face. Each drop caused a ripple, an effect which seemed to echo her life.

She stood up, her red hair falling over her face as she walked towards some plants her garden held. She knelt down in front of one such flower, a single red rose among the white. She stared upon it and wondered what it would be like to be such a flower. To be looked after constantly, all its needs fulfilled by those who bare a responsibility for it. This young girl wished she was the flower, wished she had someone there for her, to look after her, to watch her grow strong, her red among all the blurred white around her.

She cupped the flower, her tears falling gently on it as reality repeatedly stung her emotions, just like the thorns stabbing and twisting into her hands. She looked at the flower and wondered how it was fair that the flower got a better life than her, a better life granted to it by those that should be responsible for her.

Rage consumed her as these thoughts stormed through her mind, she tore the flower off. It was uprooted, just as she had been, uprooted from the flowers father, the earth and barely noticed by its mother, the sun. The girl gripped the flower tightly, blood dripping from her hand as she snapped it in half. She couldn't bare the pain and knew the flower wouldn't be able to.

The rose needed the sun and the earth, and as the girl stood up she realised she did too. She looked at the broken rose and knew she could not grow again. She threw it to the ground, bitter as she walked towards her house. Everyone of those white roses would grow, why couldn't she, why did the earth leave and why did the sun remain blind to her plight.

She opened the door and took off her shoes. She shut it along with her thoughts, she could find a way to deal with them later, she didn't have a choice. She walked to her room, her home empty. She was always though that a persons body was a house for their spirit, it was odd to her that she seemed as empty as the halls she walked through.

She entered her room and got ready for bed. She entered the futon quickly, it was cold everywhere and it seemed like one of the few escapes she had, a link to a warmer time. She closed her eyes and decided to wait for the sun to rise, it always did, maybe it would for her too. Suddenly she felt warm and safe, like she had been transported to the safest haven. She opened her eyes slightly and glanced up to see the source. A golden light which outshone the sun was above her, a discus of everything she hoped, everything she felt she had lost.

She saw the cuts on her hands heal as she reached out to the light. It seemed to spin once, twice, thrice and opened to reveal something she had never dreamed of before. A creature fell from the gate slowly like the rays of light were supporting her. The girl looked on in awe as the creature landed in front of her, sleeping softly. The gate above closed, but not without rainbow coloured winds settling blowing around her. The young girls hair blew softly as the wind seemed to spiral down in a fantasy whirlpool. It seemed to settle on her and vanish with a breath.

Silence seemed to absorb everything as darkness reclaimed the room, apart from a slow calming breath. She turned to its source, a frightening yet beautiful being of black and electric blue. The young girl felt as though lightning had struck her heart and as the object of her stare seemed to jerk awake she wondered if it had felt the same thing. It seemed to prop itself up, breathing heavily before collapsing back down. The breath was now erratic from strain and panic, and the young girl wasn't sure which one of them was responsible for the constant sound. Two electric blue eyes turned to the young girl, narrowed like a predators. The girl froze unable to move from fear and awe.

"Where am I" came the voice, mature and confident even with the slight strain in it. The girl seemed to shrink at the voice, it seemed so dominant, so overwhelming.

"My home" she whispered, fear lacing her voice as she looked into those two pools of light, trapped like a fox with nowhere left to run.

"How did I get here...the golden gate" said the voice, its eyes tilting slightly to the side, cocking its head to the side perhaps, "Did you bring me here"

"No, I...I don't know what happened, I was going asleep and then..." she said, struggling to keep breathing, "are you going to hurt me"

The eyes seemed to consider her words for a few seconds, ticking by like an eternity before relaxing with a sigh.

"No, I will not hurt you...what is your name" said the voice in a curt manner, the eyes dimming slightly, less intense to one young girl.

"Ruki" she whispered, wide eyed, "what's yours"

"I don't know...I haven't heard it in a long time" said the mysterious creature, "but my people were called the Renamon, if that helps at all"

"I've never heard of Renamon before" said Ruki, looking far less like a shaken leaf, "but I can't just call you that...everyone has a name, it's one of the things that make you...you"

"Really and who told you that" said the fox as she arched an eyebrow.

"My grandma...she's really old and knows everything" said Ruki, standing up in her pyjamas, a sudden ferocity in her eyes "and she's right, if something makes you different you should keep it"

"I see" said the Renamon, smiling slightly at the girls surge in confidence, "you are quite the young warrior aren't you, well I suppose I need a name then...but pray tell, what should I be called"

"umm, well..." muttered Ruki, scrunching her face in concentration, her cheeks going red "l-l-lightning...'cause your fur reminds me of a storm I saw once an-and you are like a storm"

"Like a storm" came the confused response, "why"

"'cause I thought..."

"What was that" said the Renamon hearing the young girl teeter off.

"'cause...'cause, y-y-y-y-your like awesome and beautiful and stuff" said the girl, flustered and pouting, "y-y-y-you don't like it do you"

"Not so, I love it" said Lightning smiling, "no one has ever helped me with being unique before, I'm quite grateful"

"Really" said Ruki looking hopeful, "that's good...everyone should have a name, are you...going to stay, for a little while"

The fox paused at that. The young girl seemed so hopeful and she didn't have anywhere to go. She could at least stay until she found out where she was, if not longer. Longer? It had been a long time since she had to care about length of time, it had been an era since the idea of time itself mattered to her. She stared at the young girl in wonder and nodded.

Ruki immediately brightened up, a beautiful smile appearing on her face. Lightning couldn't help but feel satisfaction at this, a strange warm feeling. It was odd, but it appeared she liked seeing this girl smile. She didn't understand, they had just met and didn't know anything about each other yet it felt as though they had been together for years.

Getting out of her bed, Ruki walked over and hugged her new friend, a friend that for reasons unknown felt like the sky and the earth. Safe and warm Ruki snuggled into the fox. Her smile widened when she felt her paws wrap around and hug her back. In that moment the wind picked, a mosaic of colour blowing around them as they were lifted off the ground.

Ruki's breath caught as she was lifted, she felt like she was floating in harmony. Her arm drifted above her head, she stared at it in wonder as the wind circled into it. She saw lightning just beyond it, the fox reaching out and taking her hand. The light glowed with the ferocity of ten thousand suns and all the hopes and dreams they had held throughout there lives. The wind settled, the two landing as one, their hands in each other clasp.

They looked down to see symbols on their wrists, on Ruki there was a white tree on her right hand and a black bolt of lightning on her left. Lightning stared at her own arms, arm guards had appeared, both with a symbol of balance on them, the yin-yang. They stared at each other, feeling an inexplicable draw to each other. They could feel each others feelings, hear each others thoughts and know each other beyond mere companionship.

Lightning silently picked up Ruki in her arms and walked outside, the moon as their witness to the words to be spoken that night. They sat at the fountain in silence as their thoughts and feelings reached to each other.

"_Lightning...do you think, that maybe one day we'll find more of your people"_

"_Perhaps, perhaps not, it doesn't matter as long as you are safe"_

"_My hero, but you better remember to keep safe, I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you, you hear me"_

"_Nothing will happen to your hero, nothing..."_


End file.
